[spindle]

not had this happen b4 so not to sure how/what to do next........

the wife runs a maid service...........

one of the cleaning staff has made a complaint against one of her clients

that when the cleaner is cleaning in the bathroom he decides to use the facilites (shaving/using toilet/washing)

apparently according to the cleaner last week he shaved then washed face and hands............yesterday(fri) he came in to the bathroom and urinated .

this made the cleaner very uncomfortable.......

the question is how should my wife approach this subject with the customer and what further problems could arise if nothing is reported/recorded

 should they keep some sort of record/details of any reports of harressment

what should she do??


thanks in advance

[David_Annable]

Hi

This is a can of worms.

Customer needs to be told this is not acceptable behaviour.

Keep a record of all incidents, plus records of all conversation with you staff and you & the customer.

I only do Carpet Cleaning but would drop said client asap.

Dave

[DREAM CLEAN]

Hi,

Is this really happening?

Staff and do and say the oddest of things

Change staff and see what happens

Nick

[john rees]

why not just tell the member of your staff to leave the bathroom as soon as he enters? and for them to tell him they will continue to clean in there as soon as he's finished using the room?

                    just a thought
                          
                             All the best
                                  
                                               John

[Mike Osbourne]

Get some expert advice. All these comments make common sense to you and I but when you the employer get hauled up you wish you had sorted it proper.

[ianharper]

dump the client, and move on, loads of clients out there. good cleaners harder to get. you also did not say if cleaner was on own or with a second cleaner? just one very good reason to send them out in teams of twos or threes

[Robert Parry]

Although not in the domestic market, we had the same problem on a commercial contract, the gentleman concerned was fired the following day, we still hold the contract.

Behaviour like this is unacceptable, and must not be tolerated, the staff member concerned could file a complaint against you and your customer, you because of a failure to monitor the safety of your staff, and the customer due to harrassment, or even worse.

Also agree with Ian, cleaners out in pairs, lone working regs inclusive 

Regards,

Rob

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

i was out cleaning in a custy home near durham when the husband walked in legless , he then sat down in the front room and started to make comments on my bum and how big my boobs are  then he started swaering at his wife and getting angrey

me and a  young member of staff were a little worried ,  now i can take a joke and alaff like anybody else but theres a line ,  i couldnt ring hubby because he would of just flipped , kicked the front door off to get me and the gear out  and two wrongs dont make a right

 after removeing the gear bit buy bit  takeing one piece out at a time by me saying to the lad we have finshed with that ,  and then saying a had to change the porty has the brushes were burnting out and i had to  get the other porty out the van we put the gear in the van and drove off at speed , i lefted the job half done then reported him to the police !

they did bugger all ! but i got out safe with all my gear and will never ever do that street again ,

i would just bin the work and move on but that easy for me to say if you can afford too do it then thats ok ,  but if its a big job and you need the work its going to be hard , can you not put the lady  on anthor job and do it yourself  

[carpet guy]

Drop the client.

[Fintan_Coll]

Yes, fire the client on the spot. Full Stop.

[Mike jones]

Did the cleaner really stay put while the bloke performed an ablution.....? seems odd.

[Mike Halliday]

without the full detail you should'nt jump to conclusions, talk to his wife, how old was the client? perhaps he suffers from Alzheimer's or is not mentally 100%.

Mike

[lands]

As always Mike, the voice of reason.

[spindle]

mike halliday

the guy is married with 2 kids

i have done cc for him b4

he is sri lankan----english wife...............an eccentric millionaire......

mike jones

the cleaner stayed where she was out of pure terror..........

the cleaner in question is a good employee with nothing to gain by starting telling stories



thanks guys for your wise advice!!(will get wife to read your comments )

[Mike Halliday]

do sri lankan have different values to us? perhaps he sees it as normal, but this is no excuse he should respect the customs of this country

Mike

[Bertie Boo]

the cleaner in question is a good employee with nothing to gain by starting telling stories

You obviously belive the cleaner (you know her, we dont, so we can trust your judgement on that one then) and you obviously want to keep her, so it seems to me that the only option is to loose the customer.

Unless you decide you want a quiet word with him, but it's his word against hers and there's no guarentee he wont do it again. is your wife's company under any legal obligations to continue working for him?

Don't mean to sound flipant, but to me it seems very simple - there is little evidence to back-up what the cleaner has said and you dont want to lose. What else can you do but drop the client?

Stephen

[Bertie Boo]

Sorry, just re-read your post. Question is how does your wife approach it with the customer? Could she not write a general letter (as if to all her clients), explaining that bed and bathrooms MUST be vacant whilst being cleaned?

Even so, will you ever be fully able to trust this guy again (even if he's inncoent). Sounds to me like the damage is already done. Is your wife ever going to feel comfortable sending her staff in their again? Does she have any male staff that can do the job?

Stephen

[spindle]

yes mike it may be possible that he see's no error in what he has done?

which is why the wife would like some other opinions

but he should at least understand the basic values/customs.............

i wonder if the  sri lankans are anything like indian culture where women are seen as lesser beings??     and even lower for being his cleaner??

any ideas?

bertie

i think that a quiet word from the wife may suffice ......there are no contracts/ties so dropping him wouldnt be a problem

i have suggested to the wife that she documents events and conversations for her companys protection



she could send me in to clean

wife will talk to him tomorrow .............

[Bertie Boo]

Well if you think that there is enough evidence to warrent a 'quiet word' then hopefully it will do the trick.

Will your wife be comfortable sending people there though?

Stephen

[spindle]

i have to admit i am not comfortable about sending any staff in although as suggested by ian harper send them in in pairs.......thats an option

but i dislike the idea that the wife sends in cleaners and something similar or worse happens........

the guilt would be unbearable not to mention the legal implications

i am in favour of ousting the client.........but its the wifes and biz partner decision to make.